We just received an email from someone with seemingly accurate info:"The Salvation Army Tom Seay (Uptown) Corps and Service Center, 1025 W. Sunnyside, will be closing permanently September 30, 2008. This announcement will be made public tomorrow."
Guess we will wait and see. Wow.
Update: A reader just sent in this photo from last week showing the constant loitering that takes place on Sunnyside outside the Salvation Army, all under a "NO LOITERING" sign, no less. Notice the gent who is pulling up his pants by the tree.
I feel badly for the families that I see going in and out of there, but hopefully they can find assistance elsewhere amongst our wealth of neighborhood social services. The tired cynic in me says good riddance - with fewer drinkers and loiterers at that corner it might actually become possible to walk on that side of the street without fear . . . or at least less fear.
ReplyDeleteThat is too bad for people who rely on those services, but the thought of fewer degenerate scumbags drinking, smoking, and shooting up across from the school is FANTASTIC.
ReplyDeleteYeah, until Helen decides to put another methadone clinic in there. we should watch the public notices for this building carefully...
ReplyDeleteThey're probably making way for the "sales" office for the Wilson Yard project...ha, ha. Seriously, I hope the people who utilized the Salvation Army's services can find alternatives.
ReplyDelete“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime."
ReplyDeleteHad the staff at Salvation Army embraced this quote, there may have been a reason to feel some sadness.
I pass by many questionable people in Uptown, and being a small girl (usually by myself) I have to be aware of my surroundings. But everyday I walk in front of the Salvation Army because I actually feel the safest there. There is always staff outside, making sure everyone who is there is there for a reason. I have gotten to the point where they will recognize me and greet me every morning. I live in a condo building where my own neighbors rarely say hello. So, it saddens me that this building will be closing. There are good people that work there that actually care. I feel sad for the families that it really helped. The Salvation Army is a good organization. I have only noticed loiters ACROSS from the Salvation Army building, not in front of it. That's why I always plan to walk on the same side of the building. I know no one will bother me there. The staff takes care of their property better than CPS does across the street. That is where you can find the drunks and smokers. They know they can't get away with it on the SA propety.
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in knowing what the SA's reasoning is for closing the Tom Seay Center, and how it's planning to arrange care for its clients.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good organization, although I've heard lots of complaints about that location. Doesn't detract from my admiration for the SA.
I can't help but wonder if the "commercial housing" zoning request right across the street at the McJunkin Building might be in relationship to the Tom Seay Center's closing.
"That is where you can find the drunks and smokers. They know they can't get away with it on the SA propety."
ReplyDeleteHmm . . . i guess the drinking, loitering, cursing, bottle breaking, public drug use, and acosting of passersby and CTA customers that I saw in front of the SA over the years was just a bad, bad dream . . .
I remember the woman from the SA speaking at the Truman College 400 plus meeting.....
ReplyDeleteI think this was just another oasis of questionable behavior, near the school. A magnet for trouble.
I think Uptown has ENOUGH of these social services, that they won't be missed.
I'm afraid our wayward Alderman has some stupid
plan in place?
Trying to connect some dots here.
ReplyDeleteHow about linking this piece of news to "commercial housing" at McJunkin?
Day by day
ReplyDeleteDay by day
Oh dear Lord, 3 things I pray (for our Broadway)
To close Tom Seay immediately
To stop Wilson Yard completely
To restore the Theatre so neatly
Day by day, day by day.
Okay, I won't quit my day job, but you get the point.
I remember that quaint lady from SA myself...likening the loitering, drinking, etc. outside their building to a sidewalk cafe up the street.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that this closure was a prerequisite for Target to consider coming to WY.
ReplyDeleteI just hope it gets replaced by something quickly, because if you thought the loitering and drinking is bad now, I can't imagine what it will be like when that property is empty.
ReplyDeleteThe rezoning request for McJunkin could certainly be an attempt to open property to replace the SA.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I agree with the thought that public loitering and drinking in the area will increase when the SA closes. If there is no destination for the people, they may choose to be near a place for them to stay.
SA has been looking to relocate for sometime. They have been trying to get the old Maryville on Montrose and Clarendon. The only reason they don't have it already is that the sisters who own it won't sell. They will only do a long term lease to a social service org.. They They are afraid that if they sell the new owner would turn around and resell it to a developer. SA HQ wants the new location to be near Uptown because that is where the need is. The Tom Seay commander was looking at property in Rogers Park and was told the need in not there and look closer to Uptown.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard the rumor of the closing. And the reason they don't want to stay on Sunnyside is not the Target but, rehabbing the Sunnyside building to fit their needs is to costly.
Is this the SA on Broadway by the Jewel? Or is that another one?
ReplyDeleteThis is directly across the street from our new, backwards facing Aldi that is covered in vandalism in the display cases that are supposed to showcase artwork.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate to see such a reputable social organization close, I hope that someone will buy the space and put in something a little more foot traffic friendly. The windowless box nature of the building makes it an inviting loitering spot and it has always given me the willies to watch these guys stare at the children in the school park.
ReplyDeleteAny news on plans for this area?
oh and, loitering isn't a crime. It's a constitutional right.
ReplyDeletePublic drinking and drug use, however, are. The CPS can only do so much. Call 911 every time you see it. Every day. We'll annoy the police into action.
as for the comment from the SA lady
"I remember that quaint lady from SA myself...likening the loitering, drinking, etc. outside their building to a sidewalk cafe up the street."
I can't disagree with that. No one complains about the people milling around Wrigleyville. And there are twice as many people just walking around. Congregating on corners. They're just different kinds of people.
Before i get the back lash, I'm not naive enough to think that these two groups are up to the same activities. The drinkers and the drug dealers and the pimps (i do find it funny how many times i'm mistaken for a prostitute while waiting on the corner for the bus) But most people are just hanging out.
so there already is another SA in Uptown then, right? The one by the Jewel?
ReplyDeleteThe last thing Clarendon Park needs is for the SA to take over the Maryville property. The SA moving there would add to the already overabundance of homeless sleeping in it, the drug trafficking, etc.
ReplyDeleteRogers park declingin SA's move there just shows that other neighborhoods are not willing to help ease the burden that Uptown bears.
That is too bad for people who rely on those services, but the thought of fewer degenerate scumbags drinking, smoking, and shooting up across from the school is FANTASTIC.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you think they're going to leave the area just because the SA is gone? If anything, they'll remain there because it's the only area they've known AND they'll be sitting there with the few possessions they used to store inside the SA. Get ready for the Shopping Cart Brigade...
That fact makes the closing, to me, not the greatest thing in the world.
There's a SA thrift store next to Jewel. Is that what people are thinking of?
ReplyDeleteSal Army has two locations as of now. 1025 W. Sunnyside, Tom Seay Center. And a family center at 800 W. Lawrence. There is also a thrift store 4315 N. Broadway near the Jewel.
ReplyDeleteThe windowless box nature of the building makes it an inviting loitering spot...
ReplyDeleteKind of like the Aldi, no?
Happiness, indeed.
FYI Tom Seay Center serves about 500 meals a day to the homeless and the anyone who asks. So, please leave food on your front porch to make up for the closing. If it does close.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was one of the worst run centers in Uptown, an example of how NOT to care for the less fortunate. Can someone verify this for me? I'm not really in the know on such things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marathonman. I walk by the SA twice every day and while i'm not bothered by it anymore I would hate to see that corner get WORSE. We must keep a close eye on progress; or lack there-of.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to keep the homeless dependent and down, make sure you give them food so that they can remain dependent on handouts. Quite frankly, I find this approach cruel but it does help relieve the consciences of some people. After all, it's more important that we feel better by doing things to keep the homeless dependent rather than have them get real help from professionals.
ReplyDeleteholy moley, over 30% of the recipients of food banks are children.. another significant portion are senior citizens.
ReplyDeleteWhereas I have a lot of issues with a lot of things in Uptown.... perhaps your energy at the MANY disappointing things in Uptown can be turned on something more constructive than hungry folks wanting some food...
..like take that energy and focus is on the Methadone clinics that are on either side of it.. =)
I'm not against helping people out with food. Just curious though, what does the following saying mean to you: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime."
ReplyDeletej2c:
ReplyDeleteWe have just as many of these agencies as Uptown & we certainly don't need any more of them in Rogers Park!
We have those idiots from Lawrence Hall running their goddam group homes that are filled with criminals & run by halfwitted administrators that inflict that crap on us!
Every goofy group manages to open a dump in RP.
In addition, we have noted poverty pimp aldercreature Joe 'Foie Gras' Moore, who has never turned down a bribe.
Let's put the SA's replacement in Sauganash! I want to see how they'll take this crap!
That's sad my mother use to volunteer at that salvation army. She use to come back with different stories about the people that came there for help. Like clothing, food, and services. She really liked helping out without getting nothing in return. She would say she was doing gods work. I wish I would had volunteer there to, now it's to late. :(
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a story about the life of a homeless woman who helped the other homeless find all the different places to find food, a place to sleep, and take a shower. It gave her a lot of joy to teach the other homeless the little tricks of surviving on the streets. Sure she used drugs, but the money she got from begging never had to be used for food and shelter because she knew she could find some good soul who would help her out.
ReplyDeleteThis woman was homeless for many years and I'm sure got many meals from this SA. She later died from a drug overdose. She never had any real incentive to address her drug use and now she's dead. Please explain to me again how SA helped her?
holy moley ~ you are so negative about this. Then you don't have to help the SA you just be yourself but stop trying to convince other not to help. You are judging people that are less fortunate then you are, why whats wrong with help other? Do you know how luck you are to have food on your table everyday and not go to bed hungry. Do you know what you are you're blessed. The Women that died is one person out many. I hope she is in heaven with are father, without pain are addiction.
ReplyDeleteThe SA helps people all over the world that has had a great lost. With food, support, shelter services and prayer. Go to the site it's a lot
Salvation Army
I hope I never gave anyone the message that it's wrong to help anyone. It's great to help those who are less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteI believe it's better to teach someone to fish rather than have them lose their self respect from begging all the time. I am always wanting to do what's most merciful. I do question how merciful you really are.
By the way, I was physically and sexually abused as a child and grew up fearing for my life. As an adult, I often found myself down on my luck and victimized. Some would even say I had bad luck.
It all changed when I got help to stop being a victim. I don't believe in bad luck anymore. I believe in taking accountability for my life, taking care of myself and giving back to others.
Holey Moley,
ReplyDeleteHow exactly did you get help that changed you from having that victim mentality?
I have a friend that has went through what you did and I try to help my friend in every way that I can, but it's beginning to become over whelming to me, not being a professional.
I kept getting myself in new circumstances where I was victimized. I would move far away and get victimized again. It kept happening and I blamed it on bad luck.
ReplyDeleteTherapy helped me to understand that I kept placing myself in circumstances of being a victim because like other victims, I had a need to replay the scenario and make the outcome different. It was my attempt to fix the first time I got abused. When I became accountable for my part in having this happen again and again, I stopped placing myself in those situations. I had to re-parent myself. No one else could do it for me but I did find mentors who helped me be accountable to myself.
People feeling sorry for me never helped. People treating me as a victim with bad luck didn't help either. It made it worse because it gave me an excuse to blame my problem on others.
That's why I can come across as some belligerent bastard who hates poor people. I hate it when the homeless are treated as victims and it's the fault of condo owners, capitalism, racism, poverty, etc for someone's plight. Focusing on victimization won't fix the problem. Treat them with compassion, but never treat them as victims.
I never saw SA as capable of changing the homeless and it later dawned on me that they were more interested in converting them than really helping them. Giving them a fish treats them as a victim. Teaching them to fish changes their lives.
Driving on the LSD I saw two different groups of homeless people. It almost made me cry. Because I do not understand why people live this way. I'm pretty sure it's not by choice, but some have made poor choices in life for different reasons. But in my opinion no one is to blame. Because I live comfortably. I have a roof over my haed, shoes on my feet, a car, food on the table, and a college education. However, if I could have more, then I would. And it's not like I can't, but somethings are just easier for some.
ReplyDeleteIt really bothers me when people blame the homeless for being homeless, because like I said who wants to be homeless? Who wants to sleep on Chicago streets in harsh weather? Not any one in their right mind. I just wish people would stop saying that if they didn't want to be homelss then they could work a 9 to 5. Because all the time it isn't that easy. A lot of these people have mental illness and a lot of homeless people develop mental illness because of their homelessness. But every homeless person has their own unique situation and they shouldn't be judged or looked down upon.
I'm with Holey Moley these people need to learn life skills so that they could survive on thier own and not be dependant on any organization or association. It's good the have the social services along the way but some social services don't enable people instead they disable.
So dacutestmama I trust you will be voting for Sen. McCain in Novemeber. After all he is the only one of the two who promised job training for people in need and to retrain the people who have been laid off and steer them towards a different field.
ReplyDeleteOh, so you do know my name?
ReplyDeleteyour speaking my language now. Work.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am very agreeable to everyone's right to their own opinion about the closing of Tom Seay, there are a few things that should be considered before people form their very strong opinions. Someone used the term "degenerate scumbags" to describe the people that utilize services of Tom Seay. Again while I understand why you would feel that way, consider a few things. The people most often hanging out outside and in the immediate vicinity of Tom Seay have been permanently restricted from entering the building b/c of their actions. When the staff of Tom Seay ask them to leave, they are harassed and threatened just like a lot of you have been. When police are called, police may get them to move (some of the time), but they come right back. Other than physical force, how would you propose getting those people to permanently move from the corner of Broadway and Sunnyside? Remember The Salvation Army employees are not law enforcement personnel
ReplyDeleteor security. There is no easy answer, but it is not as cut and dry as you would think. Another person used the 'teach me to fish' saying, which I definitely agree with. However, what if someone is incapable of learning to fish? Do they not have a right to food, warmth, clothes, etc? While it may appear that a lot of the clients are "degenerate scumbags," that do nothing but get high and harass people; some of those people are severly mentall ill, deaf, mute, etc. There are people incapable of being independent and refuse to seek services from institutions that will provide them with housing and other assistance. If they refuse to get help, how will the SA and other agencies serve them, by force? Unfortunately, people have a right to be homeless, mentally ill, use drugs, etc. I know it is the SA's goal to help everyone get off the streets, but you cannot force people to get help. Did you know that the SA serves over 30,000 meals per
year to people who have no other alternative and everyone else that asks? Did you know they provide free showers and laundry, free cta passes for job/medical/court related trips; ample clothing; Christmas gifts and dinners to needy families; coats and blankets in the winter; utility and rental assistance for those in verifiable acute crisis; not to mention all the other referrals they provide for people to access other services in the community? What about the people who have worked there in spite of dismally low wages, poor building conditions, being stabbed, cursed at, beat up, threatened, followed home, and sexually harassed? They do this because they are invested in helping the community to the best of their ability. In fact the SA has given people job opportunities that wouldn't be looked at twice by other companies. The SA has even hired people that used to take advantage of their services b/c it is a part of their mission. A lot of the
problems that
have caused the community grief is way above the staffs' heads and they have nothing to do with it. A lot of those issues are much larger than Tom Seay as an individual facility, its staff and clients. For those who think so negatively, have you ever been to Tom Seay to find out what is actually happening inside, or have you just been judging from what you see outside? Have you ever seen someone's face on Thanksgiving when they are served (restaurant style) a meal that they would not have been provided otherwise? While a lot of your opinions are valid and quite understandable, please know that everything isn't always as it seems. I really do hope that clients find somewhere to get services otherwise b/c if they don't where will that leave us as Uptown residents? What would you do in order to survive? Would you beg and steal in order to feed yourself if you haven't eaten in a week? I would! Maybe we could try to make sure that those
eligible, get jobs at the new
commercial businesses opening up instead of standing by and judging and watching people loiter outside of them. That would be teaching those, that are capable, to fish. Advocate for that, instead of rejoicing that over 30,000 less meals will be served, or that another community will hopefully be burdened with Tom Seay's clients. B/c if those clients do not go anywhere else, they will still be here in Uptown, minus those meals, clothes, warmth, bus passes, showers, groceries, coats, rental assistance...You never know, one day, it could be you looking for tolerance. Not pity, victimization, marginalization, discrimination, judgement, or any other attributes some of you have placed on the clients in and around Tom Seay- Just tolerance, a willingness to genuinely understand a group of people's plight and the courage to take action and make sure societal ills are alleviated in your community. Anything else is just rhetoric.
uptownjanedoe, everytime someone gives a meal to someone who loiters, drinks, and pisses/craps in the alley, they are enabling the person to keep doing what they are doing. It's no longer kindness. Enabling only makes the person doing the giving feel better. It does nothing to help.
ReplyDeleteSomeone from the DHS once told me that the homeless camp out because the public keeps feeding them and makes it more comfortable for them to not change their lives. Ironically, the people who do the most enabling from the social services in Uptown typically don't live in this neighborhood. It makes me wonder if they enable the homeless here as a way of keeping them out of their neighborhoods.
So Holey Moley..people need to relieve themselves. Where are the homeless to go? Businesses with public restrooms won't let the homeless use them. Would public schools open their doors to homeless to use their restrooms? Doubt it.Can we count on you to open your home and bathroom for the homeless to use? If not, stop being a hypocrit.
ReplyDelete